Once I got back home, I was instantly greeted by silence. Which, to be fair, considering the situation, I kind of feel like that was going to be the case.
But I mean…
It is Saki we're talking about here, and knowing her, she could probably get one more match in while she's on her deathbed. I double-checked to make sure she wasn't trying to scare me, and once I did, I knew where she would be. I walked toward Saki's room and peeked in. And there she was, curled up in bed, wrapped in a blanket burrito, scrolling on her phone with half-lidded eyes.
When her gaze slightly drifted toward me, and she noticed me standing at her door, she looked up and gave me a crooked grin.
"H-hey, Maid-chan. How was work?" Her voice cracked halfway through the sentence.
"Oh, hey. Now you're calling me that?" I raised an eyebrow, stepping into the room.
She giggled, well, it was more of a cough mixed with a wheeze. "Well, when you're serving four anime-level heroines every day, I figured the title fits. No, no, no, it doesn't just fit; it's a perfect fit!" She tried to raise her voice, but her throat wasn't letting her go any higher than a dying frog. I sighed, slightly shaking my head, and took a seat at the edge of her bed.
"Don't even get me started."
She glanced at me and tilted her head. For a moment, I felt her eyes on me as if she were sizing me up, like I was a random slave at a typical isekai slave trader's shop. She parted her lips once, but nothing came out, as if she were hesitant. Eventually, being Saki, she told me straight to my face, "You look… Weird. Like, guilt-trip energy. What happened?"
My eyes widened slightly. I hesitated to speak, having the same issue as I parted my lips, but somehow rubbing the back of my head gave me enough courage to talk. "Saki… The girls… They said they're not going on the school trip anymore."
She blinked as she slowly sat up. "Huh? Why not?"
"Because of me. I told them you were sick, and… I might not be able to go. I didn't even ask them to stay behind; they decided to do so on their own. Nao, Reina, and Arisa all said that if I'm not going, then they're not either."
Saki sat up a little straighter, eyes wide. "Wait… seriously? They're just staying back… for you?"
"Yeah."
"…Damn. So they're that into you, huh?" she muttered under her breath, scratching her chin as if she were solving a puzzle.
"Not helping," I sighed, slightly dropping my gaze.
She looked at me, more serious now. "And you? Are you actually not going?"
"I don't know, to be honest with you," I admitted. "I want to. I really do. But I can't just leave you like this. Not when you're sick. It would feel wrong. And what if something happens when I'm gone?"
She rolled her eyes and sniffled. "Bro, it's just a cold. A bad one, yeah, but not end-of-the-world level. I'm not dying; I'm just out of commission for a bit. I've had worse."
"Saki-"
She raised a hand. "No, listen. You always take care of me. You always put me first. But this time? I want you to go. They clearly care. And I'm not letting you throw away a golden rom-com opportunity just because I've got the sniffles."
I frowned. "But what if something happens?"
"Then I'll text you. Or call. Or summon you through cursed spirit magic. The point is, I'll be fine. You're worrying too much; keep doing that, and they're going to think you've got some weird sister complex." She nodded her head. There was a moment of silence. I looked down, guilt still twisting in my stomach. "I mean, she has a point; it's not as bad as it has been in the past, but…" I thought before Saki nudged me with her foot under the blanket. "Also, if you don't go, I will tell the girls embarrassing stories. I've got that one pic of you dancing in a tutu."
"You're evil."
"I'm your sister."
I sighed, finally smiling. "…Fine. I'll think about it."
She lay back and gave a thumbs-up. "That's all I needed to hear, Oni-chan! Go make all those girls fall for you! I heard Japan doesn't mind multiple wives!!!"
"Saki…" I muttered, cracking a small smile before leaving her to rest.
*
The next day passed like a blur.
I did my maid duties, dodged Yuki's occasional death glares, helped Reina pick up all the Lego bricks she somehow managed to scatter across three rooms, and even assisted Nao in fishing a paintbrush out of the toilet (don't ask).
But one thing I noticed during the morning of that day was that the girls were being distant with me… Arisa, who was coming up the stairs as I was going down, was the definition of teasing or bullying.
"Please don't do anything," I muttered under my breath, quietly holding a pile of laundry, which included her very, very, frightening set of lingerie.
She looked at me, slightly adjusting her glasses that she rarely wore, when she walked up the stairs, and at the same time, I began walking down. As we passed each other, I felt her shoulder brush against mine. At that point, I held my breath, ready to hear the "Souta~" seduction machine… But to my surprise, she walked straight past me as if nothing had happened. I stopped and watched her ascend the stairs for a split second before realising her choice of bottoms wasn't great. "Ah, damn, they're short!" I cried out softly, quickly turning my head back down. But by then, she had disappeared into her room.
"Strange, I was sure she was going to do something there," I blinked, slightly confused. But either way, I didn't have much time to dwell on it.
When night fell, I couldn't focus. Not on cleaning, not on chores, just on one thing.
The trip.
And Saki.
I stood in the hallway, staring at the door to the living room, where the four sisters were hanging out like it was just any other lazy Sunday. Laughter, anime reruns, and Arisa humming the AOT "Sasageyo" opening as she scrolled on her phone filled the air.
I took a deep breath.
This was it.
"Hey," I said, stepping into the room.
The room went quiet.
Four pairs of eyes locked onto me. Reina looked up from her book. Nao paused mid-chew on a cookie. Yuki arched an eyebrow. Arisa blinked and sat up straighter.
"I need to say something," I began.
Arisa squinted. "You're not quitting, are you?"
"No. Worse," I muttered. "I'm making a heartfelt speech. So if I could borrow your undivided attention…"
Groans echoed around the room.
But they listened.
I stood in the middle of the room, clutching the paper from Willhelm, the one about the school trip.
"I've been thinking. A lot. About Saki. About all of you. About this trip. And honestly… I didn't think I'd care so much. I've always been the guy who skips stuff like this, you know? Maybe because I never had anyone to enjoy times like that with… But this time, I want to go. Not because I'll enjoy the trip. No, it's because of you girls. I think you're the people I need to make trips more fun and actually worth going on."
Nao smiled softly. Arisa's eyes lit up. Reina gave a small nod. Yuki's expression didn't change, but she was listening.
"But Saki's sick. And she's important to me. She's my sister. My only family. And I didn't feel right leaving her behind for something like this."
Silence engulfed the room.
I took a breath, feeling the guilt crawl back up my throat. "But… After speaking to her, Saki told me to go. She wants me to. So I came here to ask… if you'd still go. With me. I'm sorry for being so difficult." I bowed, feeling like this was becoming a common occurrence for me.
As I waited for their answer, my eyes were shut tight, as if that would make a difference. The quiet tension that built up in the room grew worse as the seconds dragged on.
They didn't say anything at first.
Then Nao stood up.
"About time you said it," she said with a smirk. "We already knew you'd change your mind, hehe."
"Huh?" I responded, totally confused by what Nao was talking about.
Arisa leaned back, smug as ever. "We got Saki's number yesterday, and she told us about your whole emo phase. So we made other plans."
"So that's why she was on her phone yesterday; she never is when she's ill!" I thought to myself.
Reina pulled something out of her hoodie pocket and handed it to me, a glossy brochure.
"Luxury Spa & Hotel Getaway – Full Weekend Package."
"What is this…?"
"Your sister's new paradise," Nao grinned. "We booked her the best spot in town. Hot springs, five-star food, private room."
"Fully paid," Reina added.
"Wait, what-"
"And Willhelm," Arisa interrupted, "is being her personal butler for the entire stay. We told him to go full British royal service."
I could only stare. "You… you planned all this? B-but this seems expensive!"
Yuki finally spoke.
"We even made sure she has anime streaming on her hotel TV. Don't ask how we got the license." She stood up and walked over, arms crossed. "So now you have zero excuses, Maid-kun."
I blinked. "So… that means you're all going? And just how rich are you guys?"
The girls looked at each other.
Nao grinned. "Wouldn't miss it."
Reina nodded. "I already packed."
Arisa flicked her hair. "You're stuck with us. You should be honoured. As for money, don't mention it; just make sure you work extra hard," she said with a wink.
Then Yuki stepped forward, her eyes sharp and voice low.
"But if after all this… You still even think about not going…"
She walked toward me, every step intensifying the sense of dread looming over me. When she was finally inches from my face, I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. And I won't lie; it wasn't because of her threat; it was because of how close she was.
I think she realised this too, quickly moving her face away from me, before coughing slightly to hide her blush. With the best of her ability, she let off a small evil smirk (which looked more goofy than threatening, but I wasn't going to tell her that) before lightly smacking my chest with the pamphlet.
"See you on the bus, Maid-chan."